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8.5.18

Do It Like a Mother Hypnobirthing | Review

Remember how I wrote recently about how I was terrified of giving birth this time round? If you need a reminder then you can find the post here but I basically wrote about how I felt like when I had Pickle I didn't actually experience birth and labour because I was induced and had an epidural. I also felt that this time round I didn't want to be in hospital for ages like I was with Pickle because he will be at home waiting for me and I will just want to get back to him. Well...I am pleased to say that all of my worries have now gone and my head is in a TOTALLY different space now all thanks to one person.

Keri from Do it like a Mother Hypnobirthing.

Hubby and I headed off to her two day Hypnobirthing course a couple of weekends ago and I am going to try my hardest to explain just how fantastic and worth while the 2 days were.

But, before I start, lets talk about the preconceptions about hypnobirthing. If you are anything like my husband then you might think that hypnobirthing is all about meditating, incense sticks and holding hands in a circle (he is a HUGE sceptic about things like this). For me, I thought that hypnobirthing was about trying to get a 'pain free' birth and not using medical intervention or pain relief etc. I had tried to read a couple of hypnobirthing books when I was pregnant with Pickle but I hadn't really got on board with it as it seemed like the main focus of the books I had read were all about having ZERO pain relief. It turns out that Hubby and I were both very wrong!!

Keri Jarvis is the Founder of Do It Like A Mother. She's a mother of 2 little boys, a wife, a feminist, and an educator. Keri believes that by peeling back societal expectations, women can step into their power in birth,
motherhood and the pursuit of their goals. She knows we do this better when we stand together, and community is at the heart of the brand.

Do It Like A Mother provides Hypnobirthing Antenatal Courses and Pregnancy Relaxation Groups in Southend and Upminster, and online coaching and courses for mothers in business. You can also get the t-shirt (you don't
even have to have been there and done that) in the online shop. The Southend studio (opposite Chalkwell Park) is home to lots of fantastic stuff for mothers and others, including free support groups. You can find Keri on Facebook here or by following these hashtags on Instagram #doitlikeamother #doitlikeamotherhood

Turning up at the brand new Do It Like A Mother head quarters, Hubby and I both went in with very open minds. We were both prepared to focus and learn what we could from the 2 day course and from Keri. There were 12 other expectant parents in the bight, airy, calming room and we all got to know each other for the first hour. With Keri leading us we discussed our previous experiences, what we were looking to get from the course and our fears and goals. What really surprised me was that the majority of us were second timers. The majority of the room had experienced previous problems and wanted to use hypnobirthing as a way to try to shake off some of the fear they had about birth and/or get a more enjoyable birth than they had had previously. Once introductions were done we then got stuck in.

Now, I am not going to use this post to talk about the techniques and methods we were introduced to as it would be a ridiculously long post but I do want to give you a brief overview to hopefully show why I think all women need to go to one of Keri's classes. So, the 2 days were really about empowerment and relaxation. It was filled with techniques to help you relax and therefore make labouring easier and less stressful. We also spoke about ways in which you can feel empowered to make the right choices for you and your birth. We spoke about affirmations, breathing techniques and we even talked about how hypnobirthing can be used during more medical births and covered what you can do if you had to have instrumental intervention or even a C-section. It was amazing and I never realised that you could use hypnobirthing in every type of birth scenario. One of the greatest things about the way that Keri was explaining everything to us was that it all had science behind it. I loved this as it helped me to understand the logic behind different techniques. This also really helped Hubby as he could see the sense behind things and it helped him to understand that hypnobirthing wasn't just something that was about crystals and breathing.

We left the two day course like different people. Our ideas about birth and what was 'right' were totally blown out of the water. Keri helped us to understand that what is right isn't necessarily what you are being told to do, it's what you want to do and what you want to achieve. We left with all of the tools and the mental strength to speak to our consultant and request a water birth. We have even decided that we would like to plan for a home birth if everything goes smoothly. Hubby is seriously convinced that he could birth this baby himself now after the Keri's teaching! Proving that hypnobirthing is just as much about the partner as the pregnant one AND that if he can be convinced that hypnobirthing is amazing then anyone can!

Do It Like A Mother offers something for everyone. You can book private sessions or you can book onto a group session like we did. If you're not local to Southend then there are even options for remote learning. Basically, whatever the situation get in touch with Keri as she will always try to help. She is a seriously amazing woman and we are so grateful that we were able to learn from her and experience her class.

Find out more about Keri and Do it Like a Mother here:
http://www.doitlikeamother.co.uk/

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11 comments:

After two births myself, I can totally see how hypnobirthing works - it's all about that positive mindset isn't it. I had two straightforward births, no intervention, no epidurals, but they were so different. First time I was convinced I wouldn't be able to do it, and I ended up freaking out, getting off my face on gas and air, having a sky high heart rate, and only pushing properly right at the end. Second time I knew I could do it, we sauntered into the birthing suite with me breathing through it all, and I pushed him out in two pushes in the pool while it was still filling up! It genuinely was an amazing experience, and although I think I was lucky, I do also think that having faith I could do it and not freaking out was really important. Good luck to you second time around - I'm sure you'll be amazing!

I would have loved to have had a more calming and relaxing birthing experience. My first labour unfortunately ended in an emergency section and I was advised to have a planned section in the end with my twins. X

Through Ami's Eyes is written by Ami Roberts. Living in the South of Essex, Ami writes about all aspects of her life including her experiences as a Mother of two to Pickle and Smidge, lifestyle and beauty tips as well as travel and product reviews. READ MORE